Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Money for writers – heaps of it

Fancy $25,000? That’s how much the 2017
Copyright Licensing Writer’s Award is worth. Applications close at 4 p.m. next
Friday, 9 June, so get in.

Non-fiction writers in particular are
encouraged to apply. Any topic or genre is eligible, but applicants must be New
Zealand citizens or permanent residents, and also be writers of proven merit.

Full application details are
available on CLNZ’s website: the guidelines are here
and the terms and conditions are here.
You can even apply online.

Last year’s winner was Neville Peat for his project “The
Invading Sea”. There were 74 applications: the judges said that those that stood out “paid close attention to the awards criteria, had engaging
writing samples, and who were from applicants actively engaged with a
prospective publisher”.

If you are going to apply, and you’d
be mad not to, do pay attention to the criteria; do include a really good
sample of your writing; and it really does help to have a publisher lined up. That last bit isn’t essential, it just helps, but the first two are absolutely crucial.